Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-03-31
A FAMOUS $4,000 RAPHAEL

A story Concerning the Precious Little
Panel, 1.-THE Three Graees."
The Duo d'Aumale has the true col
lector's love for his treasures, and. If
there is anything that a at all console
him in that exile TO which he has been
stupidity condemned. it is the company OF
his pet pictures and his favorite books.
A day or two ago the well-known Lon
don specialist in autographs, NJ. Thibau-
deau, came to gossip with me for half an
hour on his way through Paris in quest
of new treasures. Now, it was Thibau-
deau who sold the Due d'Aumale his
famous s12O, 900 Raphael, that precious
little panel, Just about four inches square,
ON which the master of Urbino has painted
three women supposed to represent the
s'Three Graces." Naturally, we had
some talk about Chantilly and about this
famous painting.
After the death Of its last owner, the
Rev. Fuller Russell, NJ. Thibaudeau, who
had won the confidence of the Due
d'Aumale in important transactions con-
corning autographs Of the Condo family,
was charged with the purchase Of the
picture, and, having concluded the
lilly with the Raphael under his arm.
He was shown into a room. In a few
minutes the Due d'Aumale came hobbling
in, his govt troubling him a little that
morning. and seeing the Raphael he ex-
claimed in joyful banter: "Ah! You
have brought me another picture, have
your / see you are determined to ruin
me-" Then, after admiring the picture
and examining it minutely, the duke laid
it on the table. "Eh bien! Allons de-
jeuner! Let us go to breakfast, he said,
and to breakfast they went. But the
duke could not forget the Raphael, and
after the first course he ordered the pict-
ure to he brought in and placed on a
chair, where he could see il while he was
eating. The picture was under glass in
a lock frame Of which the key was lost.
''What a nuisance! If We could only see
1t without the glass!"
Thibaudeau asked for a chisel. ''No.
No! You will spoil it," However,
Thibaudeau persisted, removed the back
VI llt lfhilt, anu lpDh oul lnt Iftfltl.
The glass was coated with English SCOT,
and the precious panel likewise. Then,
taking some soft bread crumbs, Thibau-
deau rubbed the panel gently and gradu-
ally removed all the dirt, and the Raphael
appeared in all its pristine ~brilliancy.
The panel is now a solid silver frame,
and the Due d'Aumale is preparing q
monograph on the work, to which he
thinks the title of THE Three Graces' is
wrongly given. The subject is indeed
rather curious; it represents three women
standing in a group face 10 face. The
woman in the centre is entirely nude,
and has her hack turned 10 the public;
the woman on the left has a band Of
drapery around her loins: the woman on
the right is entirely nude and younger
than the other two. Each Of the three
holds in n hand an apple, like the
victorious goddess in the Judgment Of
Paris" The Due d'Aumale has a theory
that this group is ar allegory of the three
periods of feminine beauty, and repre-
sents the manageable virgin. the young
mother and the mature matron, In sup
port Of this theory the duke has dis
covered much interesting matter in
Italian literature Of the Renaissance
period.-Paris Cor. New York sun.